Acupuncture is one of the principle components (along with herbalism, massage, and other therapies) of an ancient system of medicine known as traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) (Mole, 2014). Acupuncture is a technique in which the practitioner stimulates specific points on the body, usually by inserting thin needles through the skin either manually or by electrical stimulation (Chiu, 2014; National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine [NCCIH], 2017c). Acupuncture may be combined with moxibustion for the treatment of many diseases. Moxibustion is a technique in which heat is applied to the acupoints through the burning of compressed, powdered herbal materials (Chiu, 2014).
The History of Acupuncture
Acupuncture is among the oldest healing practices in the world (NCCIH, 2017a). The term acupuncture, or needle puncture, is actually a European word invented by Willem Ten Rhyne, a Dutch physician who visited Nagasaki in Japan in the early part of the 17th century and saw the technique. The Chinese use the character “Chen” to describe acupuncture. The Chinese character literally means to “prick with a needle” (Lewith, 1998).
Traditional Chinese medicine practitioners have used acupuncture to influence health and healing for over 2,500 years. It has formed the theoretical basis of the medical systems developed in China and its neighboring countries of Japan, Korea, Taiwan, and Vietnam (Chiu, 2014; Mole, 2014). While Western medicine can be traced back to Hippocrates, Chinese acupuncture theory was fully developed by the end of the second century B.C. and undocumented evidence of tattoo marks on Tyrolean Iceman (dating back to 3300 BCE) coincide with acupuncture points used today (Chiu, 2014). The Chinese believe the practice of acupuncture began during the Stone Age when stone knives or sharp edged tools were used to puncture and drain abscesses. The Chinese character “Bian” means the use of sharp edged stones to treat disease. The Chinese character “Bi” is believed to be derivation of “Bian” and represents a disease of pain (Lewith, 1998).